


capture the feeling

by thedancingdove



Series: Coldstone AU [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23618113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedancingdove/pseuds/thedancingdove
Summary: Marian and Garrett find a lost dog outside of a Coldstone, where a certain beautiful black-haired girl works.
Relationships: Female Hawke/Merrill, Hawke/Merrill
Series: Coldstone AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700095
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Marian shifts the shopping bags to her other side, her arm getting tired, and considers the dog.

The dog has light brown fur, is massive - over three feet tall - and very muscular. The dog also does not have a collar, and there is no one else in sight. Aside from her brother.

"Are you lost?" she asks. The dog cocks - his? Her? - head. Her brother moves as if to pet the dog. "Garrett, no- "

Too late. Thankfully, the dog is a kind and well-trained dog, and her too-trusting brother is not bitten or otherwise attacked. The dog tilts his/her head so Garrett can scratch behind his/her ear.

Garrett gives Marian a grin. "See, he's a good boy."

"He?"

Garrett leans down to double check. "Yeah, he."

"Well, he needs to go back to his owner." Marian sets down the shopping bags, as this is clearly not getting resolved anytime soon.

Garrett frowns. "Yeah, but there's no one around."

Marian sighs. "Maybe the owner is shopping and will pick him back up in a little bit." That could be true. There's plenty of stores in this lot, and the dog is currently sitting in between a Coldstone and a pizza place. Although Marian gives each a quick glance, and there's no customers in either store.

"Yeah, maybe." Garrett kneels down to pet the dog better, and the dog flops over so Garrett can pet his belly. Dammit. Now it'll take forever to get her brother to leave. Marian had intended for this to be a quick shopping trip to Hobbytown, because Garrett had to get the new Settlers of Catan and the expansions so they could all play it together, and it had to be today because that was when the coupon expired, and Settlers of Catan was essentially unaffordable without a coupon. And then it was apparently necessary to buy a pizza to take home, and then they saw the dog, and here they are. "We could go into the stores and ask if anyone there owns the dog?" Garrett asks, hopeful.

Marian sighs again. Yeah, this won't be a short trip. "Sure." She can't say no to her siblings on a good day, and right now, when Garrett and the dog are looking at her with near-identical expressions, she has no power to resist. "We'll go to the pizza place first?"

Garrett looks at her like she just deleted all the save files off his video games. "I can't leave him alone!"

Marian wonders if this afternoon is just going to be hours of her sighing over and over. "Okay, fine, stay with him, I'll go in."

The only person in the pizza place is a bored teenager behind the counter, and he looks at her blankly when she asks if he knows who the dog belongs to. "What dog?"

The bell rings as she exits the shop. "No luck. I'll try Coldstone next."

Coldstone smells amazing when she walks in, all waffle cones and sugar, and she has half a mind to order something. She's here on a mission, though. There's no customers, but there are two people behind the counter, a man with brown hair cropped close to his head and a woman with short black hair. "Hi, welcome to Coldstone, what can I get for you?" asks the woman. She has a Welsh accent, and it's both somewhat surprising to hear in this California town and incredibly endearing, especially coupled with her enthusiasm, evident even through a single sentence.

"Actually, I'm here about something else. Do you know who owns the dog sitting outside?"

"There's a dog sitting outside?" the woman asks, eyes wide.

"Yeah, he-"

The woman darts out from behind the counter and out the door, with a quick "I'll be back in just a minute!" directed at her coworker. Marian shrugs and follows her out.

Garrett and the dog haven't moved. The dog is still flopped over on his back, an expression of pure bliss on his face. The woman from Coldstone kneels down to pet the dog as well. "What a good boy!"

Marian checks that everything in her shopping bags is intact, because Garrett would not notice if someone walked away with them while he was busy petting the dog. She turns to address the both of them. "He doesn't have a collar, and no one else is around here. D'you suppose his owner is shopping or something?"

"That could be. Although I can't think well of someone who would leave their dog out here all alone." The woman frowns as she scratches behind the dog's ear.

"I checked the pizza place, and your store, obviously. I could ask around at some other stores, too." Marian isn't particularly interested in spending her afternoon running around the shopping center, but neither could she leave in good conscience knowing that the dog was still here, alone.

"I could help!" The woman stops as she belatedly remembers that she's an employee. "Well, perhaps not. But my shift ends in half an hour, and if you haven't found his owner by then, I could help you."

"Oh, you don't have to." Marian would appreciate the help, but she doesn't want to keep this woman here longer than she has to.

"Don't be silly! I'd love to." The woman grins, and it's like the goddamn clouds have parted, the way this woman is so bright.

Shit.

"Alright, yeah. I'll keep going around to stores until then." Marian turns around to walk away, so this woman and her beautiful smile don't distract her.

"Good luck!" Marian glances over her shoulder, and the woman is giving her a little cheery wave. Dammit.

-

No luck in any of the stores. Nobody in the clothing store owns a dog, the customers in Jamba Juice look at her like she's insane when she asks about a dog, and then she really does feel insane when she runs around the giant sports store, stopping every shopper and asking if they left their dog by Coldstone. She trudges back to Garrett, now chatting with the woman from Coldstone, whose shift seems to have ended. They both look at her hopefully when she nears. She shakes her head.

"Nobody in the stores on this end owns the dog. I guess I could check the stores on the other end, but…" she trails off. It's unlikely that someone would leave their dog here if they were shopping on the other end of the lot.

"We could take him to the vet and see if he has a chip," suggests Garrett.

"And I could put up lost dog posters around here, in case the owner comes here looking for him," the woman adds.

"Yeah, that's a good plan. Here, put your number in my phone? So I can let you know if there are any updates." Marian tugs her cell phone out of her pocket.

"Oh dear! I didn't even ask you your name, or tell you what mine is. I'm Merrill," the woman offers apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. I'm Marian, and this is my brother, Garrett."

"Pleased to meet you." Merrill smiles that stunning smile again, and accepts the offered cell phone to start typing her number.

"I'll text you if we find out anything at the vet, okay?" Marian thinks about the logistics of getting the dog to the vet. Will he even fit in the backseat? Do they have a towel?

"Sure thing! I hope it goes well. Have a nice day!" Merrill leaves with another wave.

Marian turns to Garrett. "Please tell me we have a towel. I'm not letting that dog in my car without a towel."

"Um," Garrett says.

-

Marian pulls into a parking space in front of the vet, sparing a glance over her shoulder at the dog. They did not, in fact, have a towel and so the dog is no doubt shedding all over the seat. He takes up most of the backseat, too, and has spent the ride alternating between sticking his head out the window and breathing heavily over Marian's shoulder.

They'd stopped by Target on the way so Garrett could run in to get a collar and leash, and of course he had forgotten to get a towel.

Marian gets out of the car, as do Garrett and the dog. The dog, following his trend of being incredibly well-behaved, trots calmly next to Garrett. He flattens his ears and whines when he sees the vet, but goes in anyways.

Inside, the dog drags Garrett all over the room, apparently needing to sniff every inch. Marian goes up to the counter and addresses the woman standing there.

“Hey, we found this dog and we think he’s lost. Can you check to see if he has a microchip?”

The woman smiles. “Of course. Let me see him, and we’ll be out in a few minutes.” She takes the leash from Garrett and disappears into the back.

Garrett sits down on the bench in the waiting room.

Marian crosses her arms. “We need to make a plan. What if he doesn’t have a microchip?”

“We’ll put up found dog posters, and leave a description of him at the animal shelter. In the meantime, we’ll just have to- “

“No. Do not suggest what I know you’re about to suggest. We are not taking this dog home.”

Garrett grins wickedly. “You know me so well.” He sobers up slightly. “But come on, what other option do we have?”

“We can leave him at the shelter. That’s what you’re supposed to do with stray dogs. In fact, I think there’s a law about it.”

“But he’ll be so sad at the shelter! And if we take him home he’ll be happy and safe and loved.”

“You know nothing about this dog. What if he’s not potty trained? And we can’t bring a dog home without asking Bethany,” Marian says, a little desperately as this is beginning to look like an argument she is not going to win.

“Bethany will love him, you know that. And I’d train him, except from the way he’s acting he seems to already be trained. Plus it’s only for a little while, just until we find his owner. Please, Mer?” Garrett looks at her with an expression that can only be considered “puppy-dog eyes”.

Marian stares at him for a long moment, then relents. “God, fine,” she says, ignoring Garrett’s happy squeal. “But you get to take care of him. And it’s only until we find his owner.”

The vet comes out of the back room. “You’re the ones that found the dog, right?” They both nod. “Well, he doesn’t have a microchip, nor does he have any identifying tattoos. He’s already been neutered, and judging by his age - he’s around two or three years old - he probably already has the necessary vaccines, but we’re going to go ahead and give them to him anyways, just in case. Why don’t you fill out the paperwork, and I’ll bring him out when we’re done?”

Marian looks at Garrett. “Can you fill that out? I’ll text Bethany and tell her we’re going to be late.”

To: Bethany 4:37 pm  
_Shopping took longer than expected. Found lost dog, at vet now_

From: Bethany 4:38 pm  
_Oh no!!!! I hope he’s okay :) and don’t worry, I’ll whip something up for dinner!_

To: Bethany 4:39 pm  
_Dog may or may not be coming home with us_

From: Bethany 4:39 pm  
_:)_

Marian peeks around Garrett’s shoulder at the forms he’s filling out.

“Pet Name: Obi Two?”

“Yeah, like Obi Wan. Get it?”

“I get it. I just don’t see why you think that’s a good name for a dog. Why not something better suited to his strength and stature, like Duke or Ripper? You know, dog names.”

“Ripper? You think that’s a better name than Obi Two? Besides, it’s an honor to be named after the Negotiator himself.”

“I’m not letting you name the dog Obi Two. Give me the pen.”

“Oops. Too late.” Garrett grins as he hands the form off to the vet’s assistant.

“There are times when I’m ashamed to call you my brother.”

“Love you too, sis.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first Dragon Age fic! Be gentle with me.
> 
> And yes, Kirkwall is in California here because I am in California. My personal modern au headcanon is that it is actually in Vancouver, Canada like foxnonny's Heart Says Go, but alas I know nothing about Canada and so will be writing Kirkwall as if it were in NorCal. 
> 
> If you haven't read foxnonny's works yet, please go do so now.


	2. Chapter 2

The dog - Marian refuses to call him Obi Two - sits patiently in the backseat of Marian’s SUV on the way to their apartment. Their apartment is in the not-so-nice part of town, but it isn’t a complete shithole. It functions as the unofficial home for semi-regular game nights for their crew - Varric’s place is too far away, and Anders’ place actually is a shithole. Carver lives in the dorms on the college campus, which isn’t too far away from their apartment. He didn’t want to live with the rest of the Hawke crew, and anyway finding a four bedroom apartment would be near impossible. 

Bethany is there to open the door when Marian knocks. “Aw, puppy!” she exclaims when she sees the dog. 

“Not a puppy,” Marian mutters. “He’s got to be at least part mabari, at that size.” Not a dog for an apartment, but hopefully he’ll only be there for a day or two until his owner contacts them. She walks into the apartment and drops their shopping bags on the table, and plops down on a chair. The dog, still held on leash by Garrett, takes his sweet time inspecting the apartment, sniffing every bit of furniture. 

“Carver is on his way over, and Anders and Varric should be here in about an hour,” Bethany says helpfully. “Were you able to get the new expansion?”

“Yeah!” Garrett says. “I’m so excited, this one had more scenarios and missions we can try.”

Marian tunes out the shop talk - she’ll play Settlers, but she isn’t as invested in the nuances of the gameplay like some of her siblings. She stares at the dog, who stares back. The dog is well-built and muscled, with a short tan coat and a black muzzle. Marian doesn’t particularly like pets, but even she isn’t heartless enough to abandon an animal. Who would have done such a thing?

Interrupting her thoughts, the dog walks up and presses his face into her hip. Ignoring the fact that the enormous dog is tall enough to do this, it is pretty cute. She resignedly pats the dog on the head, and he wags.

-  
Two hours later, the six of them are embroiled in what’s setting up to be an hours long Settlers session. 

“Does anyone have any sheep?” asks Garrett.

“It’s wool,” mutters Anders. Garrett ignores him. 

“One wool for three ore,” announces Varric.

Anders gapes at him. “That’s highway robbery and you know it.” The dog wuffs quietly. “See, Obi Two agrees with me.” 

Varric shrugs. “Depends on how bad the man wants a sheep.”

Garrett looks thoughtful. “How about an ore and two wood?”

“Done,” Varric says.

“Aaaaand I build a settlement,” Garrett announces, and places the little wood block down, right where Marian had been trying to build. She glares at him. 

Garrett smiles. “All’s fair in love and Settlers.” Marian flips him off.

“So, Gar, how’s the job hunt going?” Bethany asks once his turn is over. 

Garrett groans. “Terribly. I have a Bachelor’s degree and an open schedule! I should be more employable than half the people in this town! But no, Costco and Target won’t call me back. And I resent the fact that an English degree means that I’m applying for minimum wage jobs anyway.”

“Maybe you can get a temporary job to pay rent and keep looking for a better job?” Bethany suggests.

“That’s what I’m hoping, anyway.” Garrett sighs. “I’m almost desperate enough to apply for McDonald’s.”

Anders winces. “You have to know how bad McDonalds is for-”

Marian cuts him off before he can get started. “Yes, we know how McDonalds is killing the rainforests. However, Garrett has the more pressing concern of paying rent, since someone is gonna have to cover his share if he doesn’t cough up soon.” She looks pointedly at Garrett.

He sighs. “Yes, I know, I promise I’m working on it. I’ll apply to fast food stores if I have to.”

Marian nods. “And speaking of pressing concerns…” She looks at the dog.

Garrett puts a protective hand on the dog, and the dog licks it. “Come on, Mer,” he whines. “We couldn’t find the owner, and clearly he’s better off with us than he is with whoever would abandon him like that.”

“We don’t know the whole story,” says Marian. “Maybe something happened with the owner and they weren’t able to come back.”

Garrett looks at her with his sad puppy dog eyes again.

“No, that won’t work on me,” she says, looking away. “We need to go to the animal shelter tomorrow and see if anyone has been asking around about a lost dog. Someone’s gotta be out there looking for him.”

Garrett sighs. “I guess.” 

“In happier news, I’m going to build the Longest Road,” says Bethany.

Everyone at the table groans. 

-

The animal shelter is a squat grey building, alone in a small parking lot. Marian and Garrett walk in, flyers in tow. Garrett had looked at her with his sad eyes when she asked him to make a “Lost Dog Found” flyer, but he’d done a good job. There was a picture of the dog laying on their couch (despite protests from Marian) and Marian’s phone number beneath. 

Marian walks up to the counter, where a brown-skinned young man with face tattoos sits. The name tag reads “Mahariel”. 

“Hi,” says Marian. “I know this is a long shot, but has anyone been in here looking for their lost dog? We found a dog outside the pizza place in the mall, and his owner wasn’t there.”

“No, I can’t say there’s been anyone,” says Mahariel. “I don’t see a dog with you…?”

Marian sighs. “He’s at our place now, no doubt sleeping on the couch. We brought flyers though - we were thinking maybe we could put one up here?”

“Sure, that would be fine. Sorry we can’t help more.” Mahariel takes a flyer from her. “Did you check for a chip?”

“Yeah, we took him to the vet once we found him. No chip or identifying information, unfortunately.” This would all be a lot easier if he had a chip, and there would currently be no dog hair on their nice couch. 

“Well, best of luck,” says Mahariel kindly. 

“Thanks for your help,” says Garrett.

Marian turns to walk out the door, but is stopped by Garrett. “Can we look around, maybe -”

“No.”

“But-”

“No.” They already have one temporary dog, Marian will not let Garrett pick out a permanent dog at the shelter. Garrett would get all sad and try to take all the dogs home, and Marian would end up being the one to take care of them. No thank you.

They walk out of the shelter, and Garrett pouts. “Hey, can we at least get some ice cream on the way home? We should put up a flyer at Coldstone too, just in case the owner comes back.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Marian says, and thinks of a certain black-haired woman. Maybe she’ll be working today. 

-

The bell jingles as they walk into Coldstone, and Marian resists the urge to smile when she sees that Merrill is working again today. 

“Oh, dog people! You’re back!” Merrill exclaims. “Did you find his owner?”

“No, not yet,” says Marian. “We actually came in here to see if we could put up flyers about him, in case his owner comes back.”

“I’m sure that’s fine,” says Merrill, smiling again. How is this woman so perpetually happy? Marian wouldn’t be that happy, working in an ice cream shop. She certainly doesn’t smile that much at her job at Home Depot. 

Marian hands Merrill a flyer. Merrill awws at the picture of the dog. 

“So, did you two want any ice cream?” Merrill asks.

Garrett perks up. “Yes please!” He thinks for a second. “I’d like a Gotta Have It sized cup of cake batter with rainbow sprinkles mixed in, please.”

“Coming right up!” 

Marian decidedly does not watch Merrill’s forearms as she uses the spades to pull ice cream. 

Merrill hands Garrett his ice cream. “And for you, Marian?”

Marian smiles unwittingly - Merrill remembered her name! - and looks at the list of signature creations. 

“I’ll try an Apple Pie a La Cold Stone, please.” She squints at the cups on the counter proclaiming the names of the sizes. “Love It size.”

Garrett eyes Merrill as she mixes in the graham cracker dust and squirts caramel sauce on top. “Are you guys hiring?” 

“Oh, yes!” Merrill says. “We’re actually short staffed right now, so you should definitely apply! You can apply online. I really like working here, and you get free ice cream!” 

Garrett looks thoughtful. “I think I will, thanks.”

Marian rolls her eyes - the thought of free ice cream will definitely tempt her brother, and the last thing they need is more ice cream in the house.

Marian collects her ice cream from Merrill and pays, and they head out. Merrill waves enthusiastically as they go. 

Once outside, Garrett turns to her. “You should ask her out.”

Marian frowns. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to. Twin’s intuition.” Garrett takes a massive bite of ice cream. “Plus, you were looking at her like you’d rather eat her than the ice cream.”

“I did not!” Marian squawks indignantly. 

“You absolutely did.” 

“I’m not gonna ask her out while she’s at work, that’s so rude,” Marian says. 

“Maybe,” Garrett concedes. Then he brightens. “Maybe I’ll get hired there and I can be your wingman!” 

Marian groans. “Please, please don’t try to ‘help’. I’m fine on your own.”

“No, you’re lonely on your own. You haven’t dated in years.”

Marian grimaces. “You don’t need to bring it up.”

“I do, it’s my job as your brother to bug you about these things.” Garrett takes another bite of ice cream as they reach the car. “If you don’t ask her out, you should at least get out there. Make a Tinder account.”

“Tinder is gross, and I reject the notion I need a girlfriend to be happy,” Marian says.

“Fine. But if I end up working at Coldstone, I’m still talking to her for you,” Garrett says.


End file.
